See the long-awaited Nike x Hello Kitty sneakers set to drop just in time for summer

Sneakerheads are pumped for the new Nike x Hello Kitty Air Prestos sneakers collaboration.

Those who missed out 18 years ago on the infamous first Nike x Hello Kitty sneakers collab — which is just about everyone — will have another chance to obtain a pair of Hello Kitty sneakers late next month. Official images of the new Hello Kitty x Nike Air Prestos collaboration to be released next month have been unveiled.

The new design features bright blue neoprene, inspired by Hello Kitty’s iconic overalls, with a scattered pattern of Hello Kitty in her red bow tie. Her massive bow tie also sits at both the tongue and on the box packaging.

The soles also have trees on a hill, clouds, a smiling sun and a rainbow that connect when the shoes are together.

On each of the shoes’ heels are a pair of cat ears and a small red bow.

Nike previously released an Air Prestos collaboration with Hello Kitty designed by Steven Smith and Hiroshi Fujiwara to celebrate the Sanrio mascot’s 30th anniversary.

One of the 2004 pairs designed by Hiroshi Fujiwara was peach and pink and featured Hello Kitty in her iconic red bow and blue overalls.

Another of the 2004 pairs was designed by Steven Smith, known as the Godfather of the Dad Sneaker”, and had Hello Kitty faces in monochrome and blue accents on the rubber sole and inside the sneaker.

Many fans at the time, however, were disappointed when only a few pairs of each design were exclusively released to Nike and Sanrio friends and family.

In an interview with the “The Complex Sneakers Podcast”, Smith says, “They were supposed to make 500 I think of each of the different styles, and it turned out that it didn’t work out that way, that they only did somewhere between 10 and 24 pairs of each style.”

The new limited edition sneakers will be available for $140 through select retailers beginning May 27, in addition to other Hello Kitty x Nike apparel and accessories.

Feature Image via Nike

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